Please Remember Me Chapter Seven
Disclaimer – Not Mine
A/N – This chapter was harder for me than the first story I posted. I really hope that the unveiling of Beth isn't a huge let down. I started out with a clear vision that totally took a detour when I started to write. Although, I did not deviate from the Beth storyline, this was always the plan.
The silence was deafening. All levity was gone as they looked at one another not knowing what to say.
Anderson cleared his voice to get their attention. "What would you like me to do with her?"
"Please have her join us." JJ directed, choosing to speak for the team.
"Maybe you should…" Hotch started to comment before JJ silenced him with a look.
"Do not even dream of suggesting that I should leave the room."
"I wasn't…" He stopped when she just raised her brow. "Fine I was." He admitted. He would have said more but before he had a chance the door was opening back up and Anderson was leading in a slim brunette woman. He barely glanced at her as he focused on JJ.
It was evident that Hotch had indeed met the woman before when she made a beeline for him. "I'm so sorry to bother you at work but you haven't returned my calls." She paused, looking guiltily at their audience. "I'm sorry I know that you wanted to keep this a secret." She smiled, exposing two dimples. "Is it possible that we go somewhere private and talk?"
"No, that's not going to work." JJ replied, causing Beth to swivel to her. Her eyes widened as she realized who it was that spoke.
"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry." She grimaced at Hotch. "I had no idea your wife was in the room."
JJ frowned. "You know me?"
"I saw your picture." She stated. "On the mantle." Beth explained.
"You've been to my house?" JJ squeaked, as a thousand questions crossed her mind.
"Maybe you should sit down, Ms. Clemmons." Rossi stated, standing himself and offering her his seat. "Perhaps you can help us out."
"Help you out? I'm not sure – I don't understand." She looked at Hotch with confusion and noticed the bandage that he was still sporting. "Oh my gosh, are you okay?"
"My husband was injured the other day on the job." JJ commented, as the man in question continued to study the latest addition to the room. "He's suffering from memory loss."
"Oh." Beth's eyes widened in surprise.
"His colleagues believe that based on the fact he mentioned you when he came to, along with the fact that you've called him twice, that you and he are having an affair." JJ stated, bluntly.
Beth's eyes swung around to JJ. "What! No." She shook her head in denial. "Didn't he tell you? Oh, I guess he couldn't tell you." She rambled. "No, no. Oh God, and I said I was at your house and you must think…."
Relieved JJ smiled. "Actually I was the only one that didn't think he was." She assured her.
"Oh gosh, you poor thing." Beth reached across the table and latched on to JJ's hand.
"Can you tell us how is it that you know my husband, Ms. Clemmons?"
Beth spared a glance at Hotch before focusing on JJ. "Actually, my name isn't Clemmons."
"I knew it!" Penelope exclaimed. "I knew there had to be a reason why I couldn't find you!"
Beth gave a slight smile and turned to their trusty TA. "You must be Garcia."
Garcia's eye's popped wide open. "You know me?"
"Let's just say your reputation precedes you." She smiled. "Mr. Hotchner was so intent on my using an alias because he worried that you would ferret everything out before he had the chance to surprise his wife."
"Oh, he surprised more than his wife this time." Rossi commented dryly.
"You know," Reid said, studying her intently, "You look kind of familiar."
"My real name is Beth Riley; I have a show on HGTV with my brother…"
"Oh my God, you're that designer." Emily interrupted. "I've seen your show."
"I am so lost." Morgan stated.
"It's really very simple, Aaron, Mr. Hotchner, saw a remodel that we did while he was on travel in…"
"Clemmons, North Carolina." Rossi finished. "Son of a bitch." He looked at Hotch.
"Exactly." Beth continued, rewarding him with a smile. "Anyway, he sent an email to the show along with pictures of his house and said that he wanted to do a remodel for his pregnant wife." She sent another smile JJ's way. "We get a lot of letters but this one was pretty special. John and I, that's my brother, met with Aaron three weeks ago and toured the house and went over in great detail everything Aaron wanted renovated. I have the initial designs we just wanted to get his approval on them and finalize the dates and the reveal."
"What exactly are you planning on doing?" Reid questioned, interested in the house plans now that the mystery was resolved.
"Well," she began, "We planned to convert the attic into rooms for the boys with a study area that split the space and then we were going to redo the master bathroom for JJ along with a nursery that connected off of the master bedroom." She opened a file that she had been clutching and plans fell out onto the table.
"What I don't get," Garcia wondered aloud, "Is why Hotch thought he'd been dating you for six months?"
Beth smiled and looked at Hotch sheepishly. "I am the lead for all of the projects we do all of the coordination goes through me so naturally I have a lot of contact with the customer. When Aaron first told me that he wanted me to use a burner phone and fake name I thought I was dealing with a kook, but then I met him and he explained that he never managed to really surprise his wife and he just wanted to do something incredible for her. I remember asking him what would happen if his wife found out he was talking to another woman and he jokingly replied that he would tell them he was dating me and let Garcia kill him." She chuckled. "He was teasing obviously but then he said it wouldn't matter that no one would ever believe that he'd ever step out on JJ to begin with."
JJ sat frozen until she could no longer hold back the sob that broke free. "Excuse me." She stood and bolted from the room before anyone could do anything.
Beth's face fell. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean to spoil the surprise. I just didn't know what else to do when you didn't return my calls."
Hotch stood to follow. "That's not it." He looked at Garcia for guidance, knowing that she would know the direction his wife took.
"Your office."
"You're sure?" At her nod he too left the room. He found her exactly where Garcia said she would be. "JJ, honey, are you okay?"
"This is why it's not a good idea to keep secrets, Aaron." She looked at him with tear swollen eyes that nearly broke his heart.
"Apparently, I wanted to surprise you pretty badly." He offered, lamely a little sad that even his best attempts to surprise her had gone astray.
JJ wiped furiously at the tears that she couldn't quite control. "Next time just bring me home some damn flowers." She shook her head when he came near her but he ignored her and sat down beside her and pulled her close. "I can't believe this whole fiasco is all because you wanted to surprise me." She let out another little sob. "I knew that you'd never cheat on me. But I cannot believe the lengths you went to in order to pull this off."
"I'm pretty sure that there's nothing that I wouldn't do for you." He kissed the top of her head.
"Understand this here and now, I adore you, but I do not like surprises." She cried.
Back in the conference room the team sat browsing through the designs that Beth had brought with her.
"So he really doesn't remember anything?" Beth asked sadly. "There's nothing that can be done?"
"The doctors aren't real sure what is wrong." Garcia answered just as forlornly. "I feel awful, he went to such great lengths so I wouldn't spoil it for him."
"Oh Baby Girl, Hotch couldn't have possibly imagined that this could have happened, he was probably feeling all smug that he was going to pull this off, and if it hadn't been for some stupid freak accident he would have."
"He was very excited." Beth confirmed. "One of the main reasons I wanted to do this job was because of the letter he submitted. Out of the thousands of requests we get his was pretty special. He was very open about the fact that he traveled frequently and JJ was home raising the kids and making their house a home, he went on to say what a special woman she was and how he wanted to make those changes to make her life easier." Beth shrugged. "It was just very touching."
"Well gosh, now I feel even douchy-er." Garcia announced. "If that's even possible."
"That's okay, Garcia." Hotch told her as he and JJ rejoined them, "I felt pretty douchy myself. I am never going to try to best you again."
"You, sir, are a prince among men." Garcia stated, rising from her chair to kiss his cheek.
"You okay?" Hotch stood in the doorframe and watched his wife. She had retreated to their bedroom upon their arrival home.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Haley is going to take the boys for the night." He informed her.
"That's not necessary." She returned, struggling to sit up.
He was at her side before she was successful. His hands on her shoulders he steadied her. "Just. Stay put." He frowned down at her, not liking the stress he saw. "She's right, you do look drained."
"Wow. Just what every woman wants to hear." She dropped back to the pillow.
"I thought we were okay, I'm not sure what I did." Hotch told her softly as she stared at a spot on the wall.
JJ shrugged. "Nothing. It's just… It's anticlimactic. The mystery has been solved but you're still not better." She gave a little sob and dissolved into tears for a second time. "I want you to remember me. I want you to remember our life together. I want you to remember that idiot that would go to such ridiculous lengths just to surprise me."
He crawled in behind her and pulled her into his arms. "Don't tell me you're giving up hope."
She responded by rolling over and latching herself on to him. "Never."
He let her cry out her frustrations as he continued to stroke her back. Exhausted she finally fell into a fitful sleep and he disengaged himself from her body and crept from the room. He found Haley waiting for him in the kitchen.
"How is she?"
Hotch shrugged. "She's sleeping. This has been hard on her."
"Of course it is. She loves you." Haley responded. "She dealt with the stress of your stupid surprise and the fact that while most everyone thought you were most likely innocent there was still a tidbit of doubt. It scared her because she really does love you beyond words." She sighed, "On top of that she's seven months pregnant."
Hotch gave a wry smile. "This is weird."
"Sitting in the kitchen discussing your wife with your ex-wife?" Haley guessed.
"Exactly." He pulled out a chair and sank into it. The day had been tough on him as well. "Where are the boys?"
"Sam took them to the movies." She smiled at him. "I was going to see what you had here that I could fix for dinner for you guys but Garcia dropped by with a casserole when you were upstairs. She feels pretty bad." She chuckled. "I bet that each one of them shows up tonight with something. Penance for doubting the character of Aaron Hotchner."
He looked at her puzzled.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't tease. It's just funny, you have a group of people that are blindly devoted to you but in this instance they were torn because they love your wife just as much."
"Yourself included." He noted.
She smiled softly. "I have to admit, I am pretty fond of her, but I was never in any doubt of your innocence. I had no idea that you would concoct such an insane plan to surprise her, but it is pretty sweet. I'm sure one day she'll appreciate the lengths you went to." She looked at him closely when he didn't even crack a smile. "You're not thinking of throwing yourself down the stairs to try to get your memory back are you?"
"Do you think it'll work?" He shrugged.
"Let's be reasonable, you'd be more likely to kill yourself with your luck." She pointed out before putting her hand over his. "It's only been a couple of days and the doctors are still looking at your files, give it some time."
"What if I never get it back?" His eyes met hers. "I try to be optimistic and hopeful but it's a strong possibility."
"Then you make new memories." She told him. "I saw the family room; it looks like you've already made a couple of new ones with your wife." She giggled, when he blushed. "Even now when it probably would have been easier to turn away from each other you didn't do that." She watched him frown. "You turned towards each other and held on. Keep doing just that." The doorbell rang and she smiled at him. "That will be your team."
"Any guesses?"
"I'm going to go with Rossi and either lasagna or manicotti." She stood up from the chair. "Although it could be Morgan and Prentiss but they'll bring something store bought. Probably bakery."
"Maybe you should have been a profiler."
She rolled her eyes. "Reid will also be by but he'll have some kind of data for you. I'm sure he's been online nonstop trying to figure out how to cure you."
Hotch gave a somber nod. "If anyone can figure it out it would be Reid."
"The door was open so we let ourselves in." Rossi announced, coming into the kitchen. Sure enough his arms were laden with food. Emily and Derek were right behind him, both with bakery boxes he noted with a grin. Reid and Garcia were the last to come in. Reid had an armful of books and Penelope had her trusty pc.
Hotch shoot an amused look at Haley.
"It looks like you're in good hands I'm going to head home." She hugged Penelope and Emily before dropping a kiss on the top of Hotch's head. "I'll bring the boys back tomorrow. Have JJ call if she needs anything."
He sat as his team made themselves at home in his kitchen. Obviously they'd been there frequently. Rossi preheated the oven and put his dish in it. Emily and Garcia were throwing together a salad from the contents of the refrigerator and Derek was setting the table. He smiled at the normalcy of it all.
"So," Reid announced, "We've decided we're going to reconstruct your life."
"We think it might help with your memory." Garcia added.
"It can't hurt, right?" Emily shrugged.
"Keep in mind we don't have all the details." Rossi threw in. "For example, none of us ever knew that you and JJ hooked up in Key West."
"I got to admit, that one kind of bugs me." Morgan admitted. "I should have known with all that sexual tension." He grinned at Hotch. "I have to hand it to you, brother, you are one sly dog."
"Speaking of sexual tension, please tell me you didn't have your wife consorting with you on the floor of your family room, she is seven months pregnant you know, and that floor is hard." Emily scolded him.
"Maybe she wasn't the one on the bottom." Rossi surmised.
"Oh gross. Really? I don't need details. Or visuals." Emily said, slapping him.
"I'm guessing this is a common occurrence?" Hotch finally said causing them all to stop and stare at him.
"He means all of us over here for dinner." Reid said. "Not he and JJ having sex in the family room."
"We are over here pretty frequently." Morgan answered for the team, laughing.
"Often enough to know that the answer to either question would be yes." Rossi chuckled.
He had to admit the good natured ribbing was making him feel better about his situation. "So how do we go about reconstructing my life?" He asked, suddenly interested.
"Well, we need to start with a baseline." Reid told him, confirming Hotch's thought that this had been his idea. "Where do you want to start?"
He twisted the ring around his finger. "I think I'd like to know what happened in Key West."
"Yay!" Penelope exclaimed. "I was hoping you'd start there."
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed.